The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

You said it. 1982 Honda Civics got 50 to 60 MPG on the highway, and close to 50 around town.

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

I doubt the safety equipment is entirely to blame. Looks like the European model gets a smaller engine, 1.0L vs. 1.3L for the US market, and is not available here with the 1.4L turbo-diesel:

St_Francis_P:I doubt the safety equipment is entirely to blame. Looks like the European model gets a smaller engine, 1.0L vs. 1.3L for the US market, and is not available here with the 1.4L turbo-diesel:

I know it's an apples/oranges comparison, but my CRX had a 1.5 liter engine

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

St_Francis_P:Electrify: The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

I doubt the safety equipment is entirely to blame. Looks like the European model gets a smaller engine, 1.0L vs. 1.3L for the US market, and is not available here with the 1.4L turbo-diesel:

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One of the ways they tax cars is by displacement, and I believe some countries charge tolls that way.

In Europe, it's not unusual to see two Smarts sharing a full size space that they paid for, and that's kosher. Some cities also have small end-in spaces for micro-cars, e.g. Rome. What this lady is doing is freeloading and clearly only works because she is the only person in her town doing it.

You mean by parking illegally Subby? She's a pretentious biatch driving a shiatty car powered by smug. That $12,000+ car costs more, gets worse gas mileage, is less safe, and does more damage to the environment than dozens of adult vehicles.

Good luck with her ever getting out of those tickets. Rules be rules... park in between the lines, not strattling them, 1 car per spot/meter... Think motorcyclists need 1 per space? No. Think it's legal for people just because they could park in between legal spaces to do so?

If I was a cop, I'd hit my monthly quota in a day or two with nothing but cars like these parked illegally, expired registrations in public lots, failed parallel parking attempts, and people generally being idiots on the road (not signal lane changes, turning into lanes other than the proper one, people blocking traffic by going too slowly or by attempting to turn where there are no protected lanes and cutouts).

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

Are you sure that isn't due to an imperial gallon be equal to 1.2009 US gallons.?

BadReligion:Electrify: The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

Are you sure that isn't due to an imperial gallon being equal to 1.2009 US gallons?

My father owned a 2000 Ford Excursion with an Allison package, raising the weight from it's already enormous 7,500 pounds to nearly 10,000 thanks to a 7.4 Liter Ford Performance V-10 engine (instead of 6.8L Triton V-10) and massive axles meant for pulling about a ton and a half of cabinetry and tools... or what have you.

It got about 8 in city and 16 on the highway. He then installed a new chip from Saleen.

It got an impressive 14 in city and 22 on the highway. All for the cost of $300.

Technology is always going to trump tiny and cute.

/We're getting the Ford Fiesta with the 2.0L 4-banger and supercharger next year - but it's going to be labeled as a "FPV" designation - meaning you're going to have to put your deposit down and wait until they call you.

Marcus Aurelius:Electrify: The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

You said it. 1982 Honda Civics got 50 to 60 MPG on the highway, and close to 50 around town.

MPG is measured differently that in was back thenCars are FAR safer then they were back then, side impact door beams, airbags, and improved seats, which is extremely important in rear end collisions, far better crumple zones.

They're also faster, much faster, you can get a Toyota Camry that will do 0-60 in 5.8 seconds now, that would seem like some kind of ludicrous misprint 25 years ago...

And ask anyone who has ever worked closed head injury rehab how cars are being needlessly weighed down with side curtain airbags....

picturescrazy:Kraftwerk Orange: The Smart car is designed to be parked nose-in/tail-in in a typical parallel spot.

I'm not going to be ITG but I would call whoever I could to get that care towed as it blocked me in. I don't know if that sort of option exists though as my parking is all done in lots.

I was wondering about this one.

When you put money in the meter, what happens legally? Are you engaged in a rental agreement where you purchase the rights to park within the bounds of your spots until the meter expires? Do you have rights to have people towed from your spot? Does the owner of the spot have an obligation to keep your spot clear of obstructions?

This

ZAZ:If she does that to me she's going to find her micro-car crunched into a nano-car when I try to pull out.

Micro-cars are trendy, fuel efficient, and you can park wherever you want for free if you get creative want to a cheap and easy method of getting it dented and damaged from the cars you parked between.

Electrify:they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials

Not true. Other Western cars are just as safe as ours. They just don't come with as much sound dampening, sat-navery, bumpin bass, cupholders, huge seats, huge door openings, exterior bling and other douchebag features. Europeans don't place as high a value on comfort while driving as we do, because they don't drive 4 hours a day and are not too fat to fit inside a normal car.

Marcus Aurelius:You said it. 1982 Honda Civics got 50 to 60 MPG on the highway, and close to 50 around town.

My 1975 Civic CVCC gets such good mileage I can't be bothered to keep track. In the 50s? Plus it can take leaded gasoline, for after the apocalypse destroys refineries. Of course, it is a deathtrap, terrifying to drive/ride in, invisible to everyone, gets clowned constantly (groups of drunks try to pick it up and move it so much, I don't park it where I can't watch it), will never get me laid, and only comes in colors you would paint a traffic barrier.

Any time I see a Smart car here in Vegas, I have to wonder what the owner was thinking. We have a very spread out city with people doing a lot of freeway driving, and the whole city was built on free parking in huge garages or valet. The only place you see a parking meter is downtown, and there is also the option for free parking at casinos there.

Quantumbunny:You mean by parking illegally Subby? She's a pretentious biatch driving a shiatty car powered by smug. That $12,000+ car costs more, gets worse gas mileage, is less safe, and does more damage to the environment than dozens of adult vehicles.

Good luck with her ever getting out of those tickets. Rules be rules... park in between the lines, not strattling them, 1 car per spot/meter... Think motorcyclists need 1 per space? No. Think it's legal for people just because they could park in between legal spaces to do so?

If I was a cop, I'd hit my monthly quota in a day or two with nothing but cars like these parked illegally, expired registrations in public lots, failed parallel parking attempts, and people generally being idiots on the road (not signal lane changes, turning into lanes other than the proper one, people blocking traffic by going too slowly or by attempting to turn where there are no protected lanes and cutouts).

I don't think you've really showed the group your emotion. Why don't you tell us how you _really_ feel about small cars?

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

It's not so much all the safety stuff as the fact that we let the CAFE standards stay flat (and in some cases, roll backwards) for the last 25 years while Europe has been aggressively pushing to make cars less polluting and more efficient.

Also, micro cars in Europe aren't meant for highway driving: they're town runabouts for those who need a car.

To some degree, the problem isn't with the car, it's with our (lack of) development and long-term planning over the last 70 years. Americans still tend to have the mindset that the suburban model is the "right" way to live, which means having a car to get to any place you need to go. Europe is much more town or village-centric, so even the suburbs they are building tend to be around a walkable town center; you may live on the outskirts of Rome or Paris, and need a car to get to your job, but you can still walk to the shops to get milk and bread.

What we need to do in this country is increase density and halt sprawl. We're moving in the right direction with people returning to urban areas and rural ones halting suburban creep, but it will take a generation or more to turn things around.

Airbags are worth whatever paltry weight they add, 30 lbs tops? I'm sure if you add up the luxury items: motors for nine way adjustable seats, heated back seats, speakers everywhere, power windows, etc is much heavier.

Electrify:The most frustrating thing about these kinds of cars in North America is that they are so weighed down with airbags and other safety essentials that they don't get much better mileage than a standard subcompact. A Scion iQ gets 37 MPG on the highway, which i less than a Ford Fiesta at 40 MPG. Meanwhile the iQ in Europe comes in at about 45 MPG.

Also they have the benefit of running on Imperial gallons of gasoline, which are 20% larger than US gallons.We could improve MPG figures overnight here in the US, if only we'd switch to Imperial gallons!

whither_apophis:Airbags are worth whatever paltry weight they add, 30 lbs tops? I'm sure if you add up the luxury items: motors for nine way adjustable seats, heated back seats, speakers everywhere, power windows, etc is much heavier.

I like the idea of microcars but dont like the execution, especially todays models. A Peel Trident or Isetta would be cool but not the Smart or IQ. The things that piss me off about those are cost and cost. Despite their diminutive size they are not all that cheap. The Smart costs more than a Yaris, yet the Yaris will fit 4 folks, has a trunk and doesnt require premium (the other cost). Why is it that these dinky cars all seem to require premium? That sort of kills any potential cost savings from improved fuel economy. Not to mention that they dont get all the great economy. Again, the Yaris will match the smart in fuel economy as no doubt would many other non-micro sub-compacts.